The set ups/gripping leading to attached kicking in Kata

It's relatively easy to kick someone once you have the right grip, I see it being more difficult getting into the position where you can grab and kick. In particular I'm looking at the movements just before the attached kicking we see in Jion at the start.

From the very start through to what seems like two grab, kick to the knees and then punch in different direction. What I'm interested in in particular is the movement with the arms backwards from the start (lower block/inside block), similar to the movements we can see in Heian Sandan. I'm assuming the start through to the attached kicking are a relelated movement, anyone got any explanations for it ?

In a broader sense I'm trying to come up with some drills from common attacks into attached kicking, and analysing how the the same movements are interpreted in various other Kata slightly differently. ie Jion aspects can be seen in Heian Sandan/Heian Yondan, there's other attached kicking in Heian Nidan (shotokan), Bassi Dai, Kanku Dai, Empi etc etc. and I don;t see much written down about it. Maybe something for me to go away with and present a youtube video to the forum !

If you're having difficulty getting to a position where you can grab and kick I suggest you look at the dynamics of the context in whcih you are applying bunkai. Are you working at a standard Karate (and in particular Shotokan) sparring distance for bunkai against Karate techniques, or are you working at a near chest to chest distance with pushes, grabs and shoves as part of an HAOV bunkai set?

I look forward to seeing something good from you when you've the time to put it together.

Have to be honest that I'm not keen on Mr Lupo's suggestions in the video. Too many dead hands even in the karate v karate applications - the manji gamae and kakiwake uke particularly. The 'street' versions seem to start at the usual karate distance too. Mae geri chudan to the stomach at that range too, not so sure about that. I'd prefer to see it as a knee strike (yours) or a kick to his knee, spleen or galbladder points on the leg.

From this position- Seperate your hands and strike on the inside of his neck, and control his left arm - so you are with your right on this left and and with your left on the left side of his neck.

Kyoshi,

I can see it in my head but I havent played with it. I actually havent done this kata in years.

In your description do you control the attackers left arm with an underhook (hooking your righht arm underneath his armpit and controlling by pulling or lifting his shoulder)? This is how I envision it. In my experience, this technique is pretty solid and easy to slip into at clinch range. The move off line at an angle also contributes to the control as well as creating a better angle to attack with the kick.

I like it. Now I want to go try it out but, I'm stuck in an office at the moment and doubt any of the people here would enjoy it as much as me. sigh...

The way I learned Jion was with an opening simultaneous low and hi 'block' combination whil stepping to the rear with one foot.
As suggested, he takes a single or double collar tie. He could be striking or not, in which case you would have to deal with that befroe breaking the grip, obviously.
Perform an overhook from the outside with the low blocking hand. Your hi blocking hand either takes the inside position and 'frames' the face, or comes over the top and frames the face. But, admittdly, if you come over the top it ends up being more like a hook punch if he has a double tie.
You clear his arm with your low blocking hand. Then, circle it into an underhook as you grab the back of the neck to knee or whatever.
In Sandan, with the combined middle block +low block, I treat the 'low block' as a punch and the middle block as a cover if I am trying to relate it to kata. So, depending on whether it is a front or rear punch from him, the 'low block' motion either ends up being a backfist or hammerfist; or a punch depending on my angle of movement relative to his poistion. Another application is an under arm break... kind of like an uppercut.